The People Who Love Her And The People She Loves
by mistressinwaiting
Summary: Told through the eyes of Team 7, this is Sakura's story and how far she is willing to help those close to her...
1. Yamato: The People

She hadn't known him for long, but she cried when she heard the news. After all, during all of those missions, he had tried to protect her.

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><p><strong>Yay! My 42nd fanfic! Yay! Okay, this is gonna be a fiveshot! Each chapter is centered around Sakura and members of her team, so enjoy!<strong>

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><p>°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°<p>

❤❀~Chapter One~❀❤

°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°

_"The four of us are going off on a mission. But looking at you all, I'd rather throw you all in a cage, but there's no time to do that. From here, the four of us will proceed to Tenchi Bridge."_

She hadn't known him for long. He had only started out as a replacement, a void-filler, while their sensei was in the hospital. After that one mission, he was to return to ANBU. But he didn't go back. He didn't leave them. No, he decided to stay, to stay with them.

_"From now on, we will be Team Kakashi."_

Slowly but surely, he found a place for himself on their broken team. He had been different from their sensei, serious in the places he should have been but lax in others. Teamwork was still stressed, however, and it was thanks to him that their teamwork only improved.

_"Sakura, I can tell by just looking at you. You lov—"_

It wasn't a very strong hatred, not like that of which her ex-teammate had held, but it was enough to make her distance herself from him. She didn't like how he saw her. He didn't see through her—he saw right _at_ her, observing the little things she did and listening to every word she spoke. It unnerved her, almost frightened her. It was as though all her barriers were being penetrated and read. She feared this, afraid that he'd tell the whole world of what she had so long tried to hide. It unnerved her almost to the point of paranoia.

_"Sakura, Yamato is . . ."_

And yet, the news had hit her terribly. Out of everyone she had worried for, he was the only one she had not prayed for. It wasn't because she had forgotten him. No, it was because she had never thought she'd lose him, that he'd fall—_he_, who carried the cells of the Shodai Hokage. It just did not occur to her that she'd lose him. No, not him.

_"He's dead…"_

She had not expected his death. The only ones that left were those she cared about, those she loved. He was not one of them, so perhaps she had been wrong about the curse that seemed to follow her, the curse that only she had noticed. He had seen her as an ally, cherished her as one, and even jumped in the way of death for her. During all of those missions, he had tried to protect her. And so, she cried because that was all she could offer him now. But she did not blame herself for his death. Those who loved her had always gone. He had loved her. And that had not been her fault.

_"It's not important whether the things you do are large or small, what's important . . . is the magnitude of the feelings you have."_

✿°. ·∴终わる∴· .°✿

°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°

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><p><strong>And done with this chapter! So . . . how you guys like it? I hope it was okay! Please review!<strong>

**P.S. I have the chapters all written out already so expect fast updates!**


	2. Sai: Who Love

It wasn't a betrayal. She had known he'd be forced to do something like this. She just hadn't known it'd leave her so empty-feeling.

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><p><strong>Yay! Second chapter is up! Enjoy!<strong>

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><p>°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°<p>

❤❀~Chapter Two~❀❤

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It wasn't a betrayal, no matter how bad it had seemed. It wasn't a betrayal, no matter what everyone believed. It wasn't a betrayal.

"_I don't _have_ feelings. I don't exist."_

She wished she had done something. She wished she had. She had known he'd be forced to do something like this. She had known it would have escalated to this. She had known it would have happened. She just hadn't known it be so soon, and she hadn't known it would leave her so empty-feeling.

_"Tsunade-shisou! Tsunade-shisou!"_

The rage did not come. Her body just went limp. She did not know what to do. She had just stared at him, and he just stood there. He seemed to be in more pain than she was in. He cried, falling to his knees, but he didn't ask for her forgiveness. How could anyone forgive such an act? How could anyone forgive a murderer who had killed someone precious to them?

_"Kill the Hokage or we'll kill the medic and the boy."_

She could only stare as he gave his story. She knew he so did not want to be looked upon with those blank eyes, but she couldn't help it. Her teacher, her leader, her motherly figure, was _gone_. She would never see her again. The Godaime Hokage was _dead_, and it was all _his_ fault. It was _his fault_! Tsunade was _gone_ because of what he did! Gone because he had _killed_ her! It was his fault! _His_ fault!

_"Don't you think he resembles Sasuke-kun somewhat?"_

She could feel tears welling up in her eyes. _Why_? Why were they so alike? Why were they so different? Why must these things always happen to _her_? _Why_?

_"Do you even know what the word '_friend' _means?"_

As his corpse burned, she did not waste her tears. She had already cried enough for him when he took his short sword and drove it through his gut. Seppuku, an honorable suicide. His actions had been for a good cause—he had wanted to protect her and Naruto—but he could not live with what he did. It was unforgivable. Completely and totally unforgivable.

_"A smile's the best way to get out of trouble even if it _is_ fake. Amazingly, it fools everyone…"_

As she continued watching the blazing flames, she realized she'd have to put on a lot of those now. Those fake smiles. Just as he had done. She could not allow the elders—those creeps, those _demons_—to get away with their corrupted methods.

_"The New Hokage was just been announced! It's Uzumaki Naruto!"_

She'd make sure killing off Tsunade was something they'd regret. She'd make sure soiling Sai's name wasn't as easy as selling Yamato out to the enemy. She'd make sure the Uchiha clan saw justice, and she'd make sure Naruto would never have those bastards breathing down his neck.

_"This is what I wanted to show my brother. The picture of our dreams."_

She scattered his ashes, just as he had wanted, just as he had asked. His ashes were scattered in the wind from high ground so that he could forever watch over the village and the two he had wanted to protect.

_"Heh, Haruno Sakura, I have a proposition for you. The Akatsuki could use you."_

It was around that time an oppertunity opened for her. She'd make sure those Elders paid. She swore it.

"_If people change . . . then so can I. But some things never change. Bonds. I'd like to learn more about them._"

✿°. ·∴终わる∴· .°✿

°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°

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><p><strong>Review please!<strong>


	3. Kakashi: Her And

They never saw this coming. No one did. They never suspected her. No, not her. No one ever thought it'd be Haruno Sakura who'd take down Konoha.

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><p><strong>Alright! It's the third chapter! Two more and we're done! Enjoy!<strong>

**Also, big shout out to wlkwos for their long review! Very self-esteem boosting.**

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><p>°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°<p>

❤❀~Chapter Three~❀❤

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They never saw this coming. No one did. It hadn't been expected. There had been no warning. And so, as he watched the blazing flames engulf the home he and everyone else had tried so hard to protect, he could only blame himself. There was no one else to blame. No one else.

_"She has an affinity for genjutsu."_

She had potential. She could have become something wonderful. She had her whole life to look forward to. She could have become someone great. If only… If only, he had given her a chance—then maybe, _maybe_ this might not have happened. Everything that could have happened was all a maybe because he had never taught her himself.

_"_I've always considered myself to be a true ninja… but those were just empty words because Sasuke and Naruto were always in the lead! But now it's my turn to take the lead, and all of you can watch me from the background!_"_

He—no, they all should have known. They should have kept her under surveillance. They should have done something, but they didn't. After Tsunade's death, they should have comforted her—been there _for_ her—even if she hadn't wanted it. Instead, they left her. _Alone_. By herself. They could only blame themselves for this, blame themselves for letting her fall prey to _their_ hold. There was nobody else to blame.

_"Sorry I'm late, I'm afraid I got lost on the path of life."_

He was her teacher. He should have been able to see through her. They were her friends. They should've known something was wrong. But no. She had walked around with such an elegant grace about her that, even when she had made friends with the Elders—of all peoples, it was such a warning sign—no one even suspected anything out of the blue. No one saw her hidden and dark intentions. No one ever thought it'd be Haruno Sakura who'd be the one to take down Konoha.

_"Same as always… I can only do the dumbest of things."_

He watched from the shadows as she had battled her friends. He had seen a few stray tears fall from her eyes, watched as she murmured an apology. He had watched her leave her friends on the brink of death but, because he had stayed, he had seen the slugs she summoned heal her friends. He knew then she still had Konoha's best interests at heart. After all, she was still loyal to her friends.

_"Regardless of what happened, you did the best you could. I understand that now… you broke the rules for all our sakes—I'm proud of you now…"_

✿°. ·∴终わる∴· .°✿

°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°

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><p><strong>Review please!<strong>


	4. Naruto: The People

He stared at her, the supposed enemy. She had a mission, he knew. He wanted to do everything in his power to help her, but he couldn't. He had to be the one to try and stop her.

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><p><strong>Okay! Fourth chapter up and running! Thank you for the reviews so far!<strong>

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><p>°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°<p>

❤❀~Chapter Four~❀❤

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He stared at her, the supposed enemy—the one who brought down all of Konoha's forces and led the enemy forces in.

_"Are you sure you want to go through with this? You'll be branded as a traitor, a criminal. You won't be able to come home afterwards."_

She had a mission, he knew. He had been the one to give it to her when she had requested it. There were only lucky that Madara had come to her with a proposal just days afterwards.

_"I'm the one who made you suffer the most… I've just been getting it wrong . . . just been messing it up… I don't want to get it wrong anymore… I don't want to screw it up anymore."_

He wanted to do everything in his power to help her, but he couldn't. Of all times… Of all people, he had to be the one to try and stop her. It was his duty as Hokage. He wished he had never become Hokage in the first place now.

_"And my future dream is to be the greatest Hokage! Then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody. Somebody important!"_

As he stared her down, it tore him apart. He had to fight her. _Her_, his teammate. _Her_, the first girl he had ever loved. _Her_, one of his precious friends. It tore him apart to know that he'd have to fight her.

_"I'm not gonna run away! I never go back on my word! That's my nindō: my ninja way!"_

It angered him that fate was so cruel to him, to his team. Why did destiny have to take away all of his teammates? Why his team? Why?

_"First, Sasuke-teme… Then, Sai… And now, Sakura-chan…"_

She didn't want to do this to him. She had wanted him out of the village for this, for when she carried out this mission of hers. But she was grateful, grateful that he stayed _for_ her. He gave her the moral support, he gave her the strength to carry out this treason, and he was just there because he wanted to be in case something went wrong. She was grateful of his love for her—it gave her confidence, and she couldn't do this without him—but she cursed his love now. They would have to fight, and going easy was _not_ an option.

_"I'd never hurt you. I could never, not you, not ever."_

The two of them fought. They fought, giving it their all. It was strange. Throughout all the years they had been together, throughout all the times he had angered her, they had never once went at each other with the intention to kill. Never once did it occur. Not once. Until _now_. Even if it was all just an act, they had to, for it would be unbelievable if they had not.

__"If you attack Konoha, I will have to fight you…"__

He won. Of course, he'd be the one to win. There had been no doubt. He _always_ won. Always. There had been no chance, no possibility, of her ever winning in their battle. She was never his match. She didn't even have the slightest of chances. Not even in the least.

_"If there's such thing as peace, I will find it. I won't give up!"_

But now, staring down at the unconscious girl, he wished she _had_ won. He couldn't bare to see her body covered in bruises and cuts as it was now. He couldn't stomach the fact that it had been him who had injured her, who had caused her to shed her own blood. And he couldn't believe it had to be him who was to end her life, the life of a teammate he had hold dear to his heart.

_"But now there are others, other people who mean a lot to me. I care more about them than I do myself, and I won't let anyone hurt them. That's why I'll _never_ give up! I will stop you, even if I have to _kill_ you!"_

He failed her, failed everybody. He had been unable to save his most precious peoples. He had been unable to keep his promise, unable to protect those he cared about the most.

_"They saved me from myself, they rescued me from my loneliness, they were the first to accept me as who I am. They're my friends."_

But when he heard the sounds of a thousand birds chirping and he was knocked to the floor, paralyzed, reality came back to him. Cerulean eyes clashed with oynx ones—those stoic eyes that had been red with tomoe just a minute before. He watched as the international criminal picked her up bridal-styled, watched as his ex-teammate's eyes glanced over her wounds, and he watched as his best friend met his gaze again.

_"Teme, you better not hurt her again."_

He gave the boy—now man, as he was—a small smile, unable to speak, but the message still carried on. He didn't worry as the two disappeared from his view. He couldn't keep his promise to her, but he knew she'd be taken care of, knew that she'd be safe. He knew it with his heart. All her crying, all his hard work, all their hopes and dreams, it was all going to pay off. After all, the biggest of threats—Madara, Kabuto, and the Elders—were dead and dealt with. And he'd be damned if any more highly dangerous villains popped up under his watch.

_"And that's the promise of a lifetime!"_

✿°. ·∴终わる∴· .°✿

°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°

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><p><strong>Alright, this is done which means the next chapter (which I haven't finished yet) is the last! Yay!<strong>

**This one might be the longest as Naruto is the main character, of course. The next one might be longer than the last three, but it might not be longer than this one.**

**Review please!**


	5. Sasuke: She Loves

She didn't run away to escape or to get back to Konoha. She ran just for the fun of it, for the thrill, because she knows this is the one time he would chase after her.

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><p><strong>Yes, last chapter! Yippee! Sorry if it took so long to update, but I was very busy, and I hadn't come up with a good enough chapter! Plus, quotes for this chapter were hard to find, so I had to jump around a lot! Try and figure out which characters' quotes I used in this chapter! (Of course, I tweaked a lot of them.)<strong>

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><p>°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°<p>

❤❀~Chapter Five~❀❤

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She ran, ran as fast as she could. Her legs were tired, ready to give out at any moment. She was so tired right now, horribly tired. And yet she knew she had to go on.

_"Didn't you know? Women have to be strong in order to survive!"_

She didn't run away to escape or to get back to Konoha. (Definitely, not back to the place that couldn't accept her back.) She ran just for the fun of it, for the thrill. It was the one thing that really reminded her of old times, of the times when she could goof around with her friends and just play around. (Oh, how she missed those friends of hers.) Those times were so distant, so long ago, so much like a dream. She almost found herself forgetting them, those times that were oh-so dear to her, so precious to her. She missed those times. She missed it terribly.

_"I can see that you are suffering… You're the one who is confused and suffering inside this fate."_

Some things never really change, he realized as he followed the blur of pink. (God, she still was so annoying.) He really wondered how she had so much energy. After so many years, he had thought she had lost that quality of hers. Who knew she'd regain all of her spunk once a letter from Naruto—just to see how they were doing and just to tell them that he and Hinata were _finally_ getting married—had come? The girl was truly annoying, just because there was a lack of a better word. (She truly was.)

_"Sometimes I wish I was cloud… Just floating along, going wherever the breeze takes me. It pains me that I can never be carefree anymore…"_

He found her, as she had expected—she had expected nothing less of him. After all, when one decided to lay down in her favorite meadow, the other was bound to find her. (It was always the first place he'd look.) It would have been funny if he hadn't found her, but that was highly unlikely. He always found her. (Always.)

_"Don't think you can run away from me!"_

He didn't move to wake her from her thoughts. He could never startle her anymore. She had gotten so used to him. She knew him too well already, broke down all of his barriers. (And so quickly, too…) The same could not be said of him, however. Love had left her with tears (Large. Blue. Tears), her dreams disappearing as though they were stars in the coming dawn. Her heart cried but, even so, she could not go home. She couldn't, for the villagers there all thought of her as a criminal and as a traitor. He wondered if this was how his brother had felt.

_"You need to come to terms with the fact that you, as a ninja, will be forced to make impossible decisions like this."_

But all that were only conjectures, his best guesses based on her genin self, for the woman was now a mystery to him. (This girl was a stranger now.) She had changed more than once, sometimes willingly and other times unwillingly. She was different. (So different.) He hadn't known her well before, and that only added to her eccentricity. He didn't know her. He didn't know her, not then and not now. Not ever. After all these years, he barely had the basics of her personality down. There was nothing to be said of her likes and dislikes, what she liked to do or eat. They only thing he was really certain about was that she liked to look back, remember the past, and think of the what-ifs.

_"Is a person's destiny a thing like a cloud flowing with an inescapable flow? Or can a person choose the flow he wishes…? Sometimes . . . I wonder how everything would have turned out if our lives weren't so fucked up. Don't you?"_

She loved this meadow. It was the only place she could really think in, the only place that reminded her of home. (Was Konoha her home still?) It was a habit of hers now, to just think about the past. It bugged her a bit, she knew it bugged him too, but she never could get rid of it. That habit of hers. (Such a horrible habit…) No matter how much salt that habit of hers rubbed into her wound, she enjoyed it. Loved it. She would never forget, could never forget, if she kept thinking about the past. But memories could only get her so far.

_"You're still acting like a child. You're living in a fantasy world. It won't do you any good in the long run."_

She missed it all. She missed her friends, she missed her home, she missed her life. (She missed everything and everyone.) There were only what-ifs now. What if Tsunade had lived? What if Sai had never taken up the Elders' offer? What if Naruto had never given her that mission she had asked for? What if… What if… _If…_ She'd never know because it was all what-ifs. (Just what-ifs… Just that.) She needed to wake up, return to reality and stop acting like a child.

_"I hate explaining the same thing twice."_

She smiled once he appeared by her side. As expected. He had found her. He always did. She hadn't tried to hide this time. There was no point. (Just a waste of time…) It didn't matter to her, though. He had found her. He had been looking _for her_. It was childish of her to run, but she knew this was the one time he would chase after her. It was sick and twisted, her way of thinking, but she knew he was worried. If he wasn't, he wouldn't have come. (He wouldn't have come for her if he wasn't worried.) It was this one fact that reassured her that she indeed still had a home.

_"Wherever someone thinks of you, that's where home is."_

He couldn't deny it. She had grow on him, snaked her way into his mind and heart. (It almost hurt his pride when he realized this only _months_ after it had happened.) She was a smart little devil. There were only a few times when she would mess up. Times like these when she could barely even stand and needed to be carried back. He sighed, but nevertheless he gave into her whining because he knew he'd never hear the end of it if he didn't. (He had never left her stranded before. He just guessed she'd nag about it if he didn't help her.) She trusted him. She really did. It was evident when she rested her head against his chest, a smile on her face even before she started dreaming once again. Dreaming about a time where everyone could indeed be truly happy.

_"After all this time, you're still so annoying."_

✿°. ·∴终わる∴· .°✿

°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°

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><p><strong>Yay! Hooray! Finished with this fiveshot! I really think this was one of my best stories. I got a lot of positive reviews on it, and I was really happy about that. It was my first time doing something like this. Maybe I'll do another like this some other time. But for now, I think I'll stick to finishing my other fanfics!<strong>

**Review please! And thank you for reading!**


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